"Everything you see possesses a potential for a true affinity. This little spark might be hidden deep inside an entity's soul, but trust me, it is there, waiting to be awakened. Now I know, I know. You will ask me, 'If everyone can awaken a true affinity, then why do some people pursue false ones?'

The answer is simple and can be summed up into two words. Incompetence and impatience."

~ Central Academy, Ger

---

Leo tightened his grip around the shadow blade, letting the soft texture flow over his skin. Despite being nothing more than a semi-transparent material and weighing almost nothing, the weapon fit perfectly in Leo's hand.

No surprise there. It is my shadow, after all. Still, it does feel a bit weird... Leo mused, cutting the air in front of him with the blade. I doubt it is as powerful as a standard weapon, but maybe it will help against those damned cats...

Dismissing the blade, Leo let the shadows flow down his body and once again settle on the floor. His affinity-filled Essence fizzled out like a flame before disappearing completely. Really easy to control. I wonder…

Leo glanced at the darkness that covered almost the entire room and reached out with his hand toward the nearest shadow. Essence sparked underneath his skin and slowly flowed out, mingling with the foreign shadow.

And now to connect with... FUCK! Snapping his hand away, Leo almost collapsed as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

For a moment, Leo had seen it all. Every room, every monster inside the building, nothing was hidden. Truly it was almost like every single shadow inside the warehouse was within his grasp, showing Leo their secrets. Yet... As fast as the limited omnipresence came, it went away just as quickly, taking most of Leo's Essence along the ride.

Shit, he groaned, grabbing his head in hopes of stopping the constant pounding. That was a dumb idea... Maybe it could work if I tried to focus my affinity on one spot because letting it spread everywhere definitely isn't it. Not when my Essence is so limited.

Connecting to a broader network of shadows held a lot of potential, that was for sure. However, even though the connection lasted no longer than a millisecond, Leo's insides felt like they would spill out at any moment. And the less said about his Essence, the better.

"Maybe in a month or two..." Leo murmured, gently dropping his True Stealth. With his reserves almost dry, every bit of Essence saved could turn the tide of a battle. Besides, he didn't doubt for a second that Shadow Tails knew exactly where Leo was hiding. Especially with the trick he had performed a moment ago.

If what I saw is correct, then at least two or three dozens of them are inside the warehouse. Leo nodded, eyes closed. If I can find a way to fight them in small groups, then clearing this Nest shouldn't be too hard. Buut, if they all come, then I'm fucked.

Leo shook his head. His family and evolution were the priorities. After that, he could think about conquering the Nest. I have to wonder, though. What will I get for destroying the core or conquering this place?

Destroying a Rift passage didn't really give him much by itself alone, but this was a Nest. There had to be some special rewards for destroying such a blight on the world, right?

Maybe a title, some Ether, or an item, if I'm lucky. Leo hummed, tapping his fingers against the ground. And for conquering? Who knows, maybe this is how you get a safe zone. It for sure would be ironic if we had to hide in a Nest…

Shrugging, Leo let his thoughts drift. There was so much to think about, so much to consider. Yet, those random subjects never remained at the forefront of his mind for too long. No, no matter what, images of his family took their place, reminding Leo of what was truly important.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will find you.

---

-ke up. Wake up. Wake up!

Fuck! I fell asleep. A gasp escaped Leo's lips as his eyes snapped open. He quickly rolled to the side, one of his knives instantly jumping into his hand.

Pulling to a crouch, Leo let his gaze wander over the darkroom. Nothing seemed out of place, but with monsters that possessed the ability to jump out of shadows, one could never be too sure.

"Come on, kitty," Leo murmured as he circled the room. "Don't be scared."

A loud hiss was the only answer Leo received right before he had to jump to the side. A small black body sailed past him, never giving him a chance to react as it disappeared in the surrounding shadows.

Alright then. Let's kick it up a notch. Separate. Just like earlier this night, a bit of Leo's shadow slithered up his body and settled down in his palm. He flipped the bowie knife into his cursed hand and let a short blade form in the other.

A moment later, more hissing filled the room, and Leo quickly bathed the walls in the glow coming from his cursed arm. At once, two Shadow Tails jumped out of the darkness, their crimson glare trying to drill through Leo's skull.

Not wasting a moment, he hurled the blade of shadows at the nearest beast.

The monster's eyes widened just as its body twisted to the right. Another hiss escaped its snout, and Leo couldn't hold his grin when the cat sprinted towards him, jumping over various fallen objects.

And back. Tugging on a thin string of shadow connected to the flying blade, Leo swung it back with more power than necessary. The weapon sailed true, cutting across the monster's side right through the mass of dark fur.

The cat released a wail, loud and angry, as it tumbled across the floor. Bingo. Can't hide from one shadow with another. This just got a lot easier.

Smiling lightly, Leo caught the blade of shadows mid-air and leaned to the side when the second beast got tired of waiting.

Leo's cursed hand, entirely covered in shadows, shot forward and grabbed the flying feline by the tail. The monster wiggled in his grasp, hissing and biting at the offending limb, yet it never burst into a cloud of shadows like those before.

Not from the lack of trying, Leo snorted. The beast's body constantly convulsed, its shadowy fur trying to expand outward, only to be stopped by a single squeeze from Leo's hand.

The beast hissed again, flailing its limbs. Alright, that's enough. One swing was all it took to embed the blade of shadows into the cat's skull. Unsurprisingly, the beast went limb, and Leo quickly drained the corpse before doing the same to the half-dead Shadow Tail lying on the floor.

Thanks, by the way. Leo voiced internally. I'd probably be walking away with some nasty scratches if it hadn't been for you.

Only silence answered him, and Leo's shoulders slumped just a bit. He really should have expected nothing else. Well, I tried... Hopefully, you will answer me soon, Nikra, or whoever the hell you are.

As the blanket of silence continued to encompass the room, Leo shook his head with a sigh. Whatever, I have other things to worry about…

You managed to survive the Night outside a safe zone. Three Voidlings killed. Congratulations!

End of Night bonus: Additional experience awarded. 4 Ether awarded.

Huh, the night has already ended. Leo's gaze jumped to the empty walls, a frown spreading on his face. Maybe resting in a room without windows wasn't the wisest of my ideas.

 

Shadow Tail x2 slain | Experience awarded | 4 Ether gained

Level 10 reached. Class attributes added. Please assign your 2 free attributes.

Leo's eyebrow raised at the notification. He expected a level to appear soon, but not this soon. Evidently, the Guarding Rock Eater gave him much more experience than Leo initially thought.

 

Alright then, add both to Soul. He commanded. If what happened during the night is anything to go by, then I need as much Essence as possible. I have no doubt that the stronger I get, the more energy my abilities will cost.

Due to achieving the second milestone on your journey, your connection with the System has improved from "Average" to "Strong". Ether menu unlocked.

Already? There is no way this was meant to happen this fast. Leo attained the first milestone when he reached level five. It seemed strange — Easy? — for the connection to improve again after only another five levels.

 

Yeah, easy is definitely the right word here. I bet Nikra's shard has something to do with this. Scratching his head, Leo dug through his memories for the correct information. Didn't it say something about strengthening the standard connection? Ye, that must be it…

With a shrug, Leo pushed the notification away. It wasn't anything bad, so there was no reason to worry about it. Hell, he just gained access to another menu. But before that.

Assassin level ten skill granted: Decoy

Decoy (Uncommon)
Illusions, one of many tools available to an assassin. Deceive your enemies, lead them astray. And when you have them where you want, strike. Fast and deadly.
Effects:
Grants the ability to create an Essence decoy, a perfect illusion clone of your body. As the name implies, a decoy cannot interact with the real world but will follow basic commands given by the user.

The moment those words appeared, Leo grimaced as strings of knowledge rushed into his mind. Almost no secret about this new ability was hidden. From the formation of the illusion to giving it simple commands, the System explained it all.

Although, Leo mused as he massaged his throbbing brow. It doesn't really explain how my Essence is changed into an illusion. All I know is to focus on the image of the decoy and then push it out while feeding enough Essence. Is the System responsible for the rest?

Leo shook his head. Doesn't matter now. Decoy would have to wait for later. The scale of this ability alone told Leo enough about its Essence requirements. I bet it would suck me half dry…

Warning! You have reached the raw potential of your current race. Experience will no longer be gained. Bonus Ether will be awarded instead. To disable the lock on your level, please evolve as soon as possible. Number of Evolutions unlocked: 3

Leo frowned as he read through the message. Here it is. I finally got locked... Shit. Glancing at the last sentence, Leo's frown deepened. Wait. Three?

Recommended Requirements:
75 Ether (78/75), 50 Voidlings Killed (79/50), 24 hours of Sated Status (81/24), 2 Crystalized Essence
Evolution Unlocked: Fallen

Doesn't sound ominous at all, but okay, let's see it.

Fallen (Stage II)
You embraced the taint of the Void upon your soul and made it your own. This new path might have taken another part of your humanity away, but you know what is necessary to survive. Go forth and become one with your new life.
Effects:
Tainted trait changed into Void's Child. Physical evolution involved. +5% to All Attributes. +7 Free Attribute points per class level. Natural Mutations: Unlocked.

Not bad, but worse than my Void evolution. Leo quickly brought up the new trait and nodded. Void's Child is pretty much a cleansed version of Tainted. Same bonuses but without the drawback. Oh, and it grants Consume. Once again, almost the same shit, but without the ability to get stronger…

Dropping onto a fallen shelf, Leo dismissed the window and brought up his Void evolution again. So this is really my path, hmm? It would be suicide to evolve into Risen Human, and the Apex requirements are just way too high for me to wait.

Prime Void Walker (Stage II)

Leo glared at the single line of text, gritting his teeth as the evolution taunted him again and again. I might have accepted my fate, but I never really had a choice, did I? His gaze fell to his cursed arm.

The moment I became a Tainted Human, my fate was sealed. The Void became too ingrained inside my soul for the System to offer me more normal choices. Leo shook his head lightly. Choosing Risen Human would be like taking one step forward and two steps back. An idiocy considering the world I now live in.

Jumping to his feet, Leo rolled his shoulders. Okay then, System. You wanted me to become a Legacy of Nikra, a true walker of the Void? Well, that's precisely what you are gonna get. Soon.

But first, Nick, Ava, and Adam. I'm coming.